Dear Alzheimer's,
Why. Why must you take our loved ones and turn them into the shells of people we don't even recognize anymore? Why do you destroy the ones we love from the inside out? You cause so much pain and anguish to all members of a family, not just the one you directly affect. All I really want to say is, screw you, Alzheimer's. Thanks to you, I never got to say goodbye to my grandma. Thanks to you, my grandma will never get to see me graduate from nursing school this May. She'll never see me get married and she'll never meet her grandchildren. And I know I'm not the only one you've screwed over like this. How dare you think that you have the right to ruin lives and cause families so much grief? Despite all of my tears and anger, I know that there is hope. There is hope because people are working to find a cure, or at least some form of treatment that will stop you from causing further destruction. And though I grieve, I know that my grandma is in a better place, far away from the likes of you and the suffering you cause. I can rejoice because she is free and you no longer have a hold on her. You have caused so much turmoil and distress for the past five years, and now your reign of terror is over. Good riddance, Alzheimer's. It was not a pleasure meeting you, and I hope you never come around again. I will say thank you though, because you have helped me realize just how little time I have to spend with the ones I love. Thank you for helping me grow up a bit. You've helped me learn how to be more compassionate towards my patients, and I hope that I can make a difference in their lives as a nurse. You have taught me a lot about respect and the importance of person-first language. You did not define my grandmother and her identity. I will never refer to a patient you have affected as "that Alzheimer's patient" because they are first and foremost a person who deserves respect and love. My grandma was a patient with Alzheimer's. She was a mother, a grandmother, a daughter, and wife, among many other things. She was not "that Alzheimer's patient." Thank you for teaching me more about respect, and appreciating time. That is the extent of my gratitude, though. All my other feelings towards you are not as benevolent. I am angry with you because you stole the last five years of my grandmother's life. And though you may have stolen precious time I could have spent with her, you will not steal my joy.
Affectionately, screw you, and goodbye.
A grieving granddaughter
